Filling and capping apparatus for containers of liquids



Dec. 4, 1956 F. BRODSKY 2,772,531

FILLING AND CAPPING APPARATUS FOR CONTAINERS OF L IQUIDS Filed Aug. 16, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 m INVENTOR q FRANK BROSKY.

ATTORNEY m) 39 FEGJA F. BRODSKY Dec. 4, 195-6 FILLING AND CAPPING APPARATUS FOR CONTAINERS OF LIQUIDS Filed Aug. 16, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR FRANK BRODSKY. 6 WNW ATTORNEY F. BRODSKY Dec 4, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 16, 1954 INVENTOR FRAN K BRODSKY.

ATTORNEY Dec. 4, 1956 P. BRODSKY FILLING AND CAPPING APPARATUS FOR CONTAINERS OF LIQUIDS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 16, 1954 INVENTQR FRANK BRODSKY.

United States Patent FILLING AND CAPPING APPARATUS FOR CONTAINERS OF LIQUIDS Frank Brodsky, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application August 16, 1954, Serial No. 449,886

4 Claims. (Cl, 53-283) This invention relates to filling devices for containers and particularly concerns tan app-ana-tusfor filling and capping a plurality of containers simultaneously under semiautomatic control of an operator.

The invention is primarily concerned with an improved apparatus adapted to fill and cap many containers such as cups, pitchers, and jars arranged in rows %by a simpler and more efiicient means than has heretofore been available. During operation of the apparatus a row of containers is filled with a liquid such as cream, milk, syrup, or the like, to a predetermined measured volume. The row of filled containers is advanced to a capping position while a row of empty containers is advanced to the filling position. The capped containers are advanced to a removal position while filled containers advance to capping position and empty containers advance to filling position in continuous succession in response to manual operation of appropriate controls.

It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a simplified apparatus for filling and capping a plurality of containers simultaneously.

It is a further object to provide an apparatus for filling many containers quickly, easily vand efiiciently which apparatus is simple to adjust and reliable in operation.

It is a further object to provide :a multiple container filling and capping device, for standardized types of cups, jars, pitchers or the like.

It is a further object to provide an apparatus of the character described which employs sealing discs or caps disposed and arranged in pairs in a novel manner.

Other and further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the invention.

The invention will the best understood with reference to the following specification and drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a frontelevational view of an apparatus embodying the invention, with a portion broken away to show internal details.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the apparatus including certain internal parts thereof.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate a sequence of operation of parts shown in Fig. 2. i

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken onlines 5-5 of Fig. 1 limited to certain internal details and. showing the man ner of operation thereof.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a 'disc or cap feeding plate used in the apparatus.

Fig. 7 is an elevational sectional view on an enlarged scale of a valve and fluid dispensing assembly used in the apparatus.

Fig. 7A is another sectional view through .the same valve and fluid dispensing assembly, said view beingtalcen on a plane which, like the view of Fig. 7, is vertical, but which intersects said vertical plane of Fig. 7 at right angles. t

Fig. 8 shows details of a valve element of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 shows details of :a latching arrangement used in the apparatus. M

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown a pair of side ice frame members 10, 11 which are joined by suitable connecting members such as bars 12. Posts 14, 15 are supported by the frame members and carry a reservoir or tank 16 having a flat rim 17 which rests on the posts. The tank is secured by latches 18, 19 which pivot on the upstanding hollow posts 20, 21. Tank 16 is preferably made of aluminum or stainless steel and contain milk, cream, syrup or other liquid F to be dispensed therefrom. A removable cover 22 provided with handle 23 rests on rim 17. A tray support 24 is slidably supported by the frame members 10, 11, and a roller 11a journaled into said frame members. The tray support carries a plurality of stationary grooved posts 25 accommodating vertical Walls 25a supporting tray 27. The front posts 25 have pin ends 26 formed at their upper ends which fit into corresponding holes in tray 27. The rear posts 25 are provided with button-shaped head portions 26a which engage the tray 27 and help lock it into operative position. Tray 27 has a plurality of rows of openings in which fit containers C which may be paper cups, glass jars or bottles or the like. When all the containers are filled and capped the tray 27 can be removed and a new tray placed on posts 25. Tray support 24 has a row of aligned slots 28 on each side thereof which are used in progressively advancing the rows of containers through the: apparatus. A knob or handle 29 on the tray support is used to push the tray support back into the machine to locate the first row A in filling position. It is provided with a downwardly projecting extension piece 29a which is engageable with roller 11a to serve as a stop thereagainst. This registers containers C with the liquid dispensing means.

The cup filling mechanism is actuated by handle 30 connected pivotally as shown best in Fig. 2 to a lever 31. Lever 31 turns or pivots on a pin 32 to raise and lower link arm 33. Arm 33 is operatively joined to lifter bar 34. The valve tubes 36, which serve as air vents communicating with air passages 36a, are disposed in the lifter bar shown in Fig. 1. Heads 37 serve as stop members when the tubes are lifted as shown by arrow 38 in Fig. 5. Tubes 36 are connected to the valve inserts 39 shown best in Fig. 7.

Each valve includes a hollow valve body 50 which is generally cylindrical and has a lower narrow opening or outlet 51. The insert 39 has a corresponding narrowed portion 52 which slides in and out of outlet 51 as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 7. The valve body is removably secured to a sleeve insert 53 by a bayonet joint consisting of pin 54 and slot 55 so that the valve can be readily disassembled for cleaning. Gasket rings 56, 57 seal the sleeve insert to the valve body. The sleeve insert is secured in an aperture in the bottom 58 of the tank 16. The top of valve insert 39 has scooped cutouts or channels 59 arranged as shown in Fig. 8. When the valve insert is in its lowermost position the channels provide passages past insert 53 into the valve body compartment 60, which is filled to a predetermined volume. The bottom of the compartment is closed by the end portion 52 of the valveinsert. When the valve insert is raised, the channels 59 are closed by the inner wall of insert 53 and opening 51 is cleared to permit the measured quantity of fluid to fill the container disposed beneath it.

An arm 74 is provided which ha an obliquely cut side in contact with tray support 24 shown best in Fig. 5. When the last row of containers leaves filling position D, arm 74 moves to a vertical position because arm 74 and arm 71 are both secured to the same shaft and are biased by a spring 73. When arm 74 is vertical, pin 70 on arm 71 is engageable in slot 72 of arm 33 to prevent reopening of the valves once handle 30 is raised, until a new tray of containers is disposed in filling position D beneath the valves.

The handle 80 controls the capping of the filled containers by a mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Handle 80 is connected to arm 81 which rotates angularly with the handle on shaft 82. Pin 83 locks the handle to arm 81. An arm 84 is carried on shaft 82 and supports a wheel or roller 85 near its end. This roller is disposed to ride on lever arm 86 which is pivoted on pin 87 at the rear of the apparatus frame member 10. Arm 86 is held up by spring 88 located about midway along arm 86. Spring 88 is anchored at its upper end to frame member 10. At the end of arm 81 is a pin 89 arranged to engage in slot 90 of arm 91 in the initial rearward position of the handle 80. Arm 91 has a :cam follower end portion 92. Arm 91 pivots on pin 93 carried by plate 94. Plate 94 supports a plate pusher bar 95 which rides in slots 96, 97 of frame members 10, 11. The bar 95 supports cap pusher plate 98 which is secured to the bar by pins 99.

In Fig. 6 is shown the configuration of cap pusher plate 98. The plate has a plurality of deep slots 100 and shorter slots 101 to define pairs of fingers 102. The fingers have arcuate ends which contact the caps or container covers 104 to push a group of cap pairs forward when the handle 80 is moved forward. It will be noted that the caps are joined together by weak bridging elements 105. These bridging elements are severed when the caps are lowered on the containers in a manner to be described. The fingers 102 have slightly bent forwardly extending tips 103 which become disposed below the bridging elements of the lower caps. The paired caps are arranged in piles and are supported between guides 106 on a plate 107 seen in Fig. 5. Weights 108 joined by bars 114 rest on the piles of caps and insure that the caps move downwardly in an orderly fashion. A bar 109 serves to guide the movement of cap pusher plate 98.

The operation of capping mechanism will now be clear when taken with respect to Figs. 2, 3, 4. Handle 80 is moved forward which causes pin 89 to move in slot 90 drawing arm 91 backward. Arm 91 pivots n pin 93 and disengages from upper stop pin 115 on plate 94. Plate 94 also moves back carrying plate pusher bar 95 backward in slots 96, 97. The plate pusher bar cause-s the pusher plate 98 to push the lowermost pairs of caps beneath the plungers 110 shown in Figs. 1 and 5. These plungers carry heads 111 which are lowered over the caps and press them into the containers disposed in capping position B. The plungers 110 are carried by a plunger support plate 112 which rides in slots 113 of the frame members 10, 11. The plate 112 is pivota-lly connected to lever 86, so that as handle 80 moves forward, roller 85 causes the lever 86 to be depressed against the tension in spring 88 while the plungers 110 lower the heads 111 and press the caps down on the respective filled containers. As plate 94 and arm 91 move backward cam 117 contacts the cam follower end 92 of arm 91 to position the arm for re-engagement of pin 89 in slot 90. A stop pin 116 is provided to limit angular movement of arm 91 as plate 94 moves backward.

The forward movement of handle 80 to restore it to its initial position also serves to move the tray support and tray carrying containers a predetermined distance forward equal to the distance between the centers of successive slots 28. The mechanism for accomplishing this movement is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. A hook 118 is pivoted on pin 119 which rolls or slides in slot 120. Pins 129, 130 limit movement of the hook which is so disposed that its projecting end can enter slots 28 in tray support 24. Pin 119 is carried on plate 94 and when plate 94 is in its extreme rear position the end of the hook becomes engaged in a slot 28 in the tray support. When plate 94 is moved forward by the action of pin 89 in slot 90 of arm 91, the hook pulls the tray support forward. Corresponding hook-s are provided on both sides of the apparatus. As plate 94 moves forward, the lever 86 is restored to its original upward position. When tray support 24 is to be removed from the apparatus herein claimed, hook 118 engages fulcrum 118a and is thereby caused to rock out of engagement with said tray support. Fulcrum 118a is an adjustable eccentric to vary its influence upon said hook 118. Another adjustable eccentric 11811 is provided to control the movement of hook 118 when it occupies its position in Fig. 2.

A hook 121 limits the upward movement of lever 86. Said hook 121 is anchored in the base 122 of the apparatus which is supported on legs 123 as shown in Fig. 2. An adjustable screw 860, also secured to base 122, limits the downward movement of said lever 86, this feature being important in connection with cups or bottles of varying heights and proportions and having cap-receiving seats or shoulders situated at various depths or levels.

A bar 124 is provided to support the caps and cap guides 106 at the rear thereof. Bar 124 as shown in Fig. 9 is supported at each end by a pin 125 which is held in slot 126 by hook 127. Hook 127 is held in an aperture in pin 125 by a spring 128 and is readily relea-sable therefrom to permit removal of the entire cap guide assembly from the apparatus and allow access to the interior thereof.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes are possible in the several parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

I claim:

1. A filling machine for filling containers with cream and other liquids, comprising a reservoir for a liquid, a plurality of liquid metering and dispensing cups disposed underneath the reservoir, a like number of inlet openings formed in the bottom of the reservoir through which the liquid may flow into said cups, outlet openings formed in the bottom of said cups through which the liquid may flow out of said cups, a valve member mounted in each said cup for vertical movement therein, said valve members having a lower position in which they close the outlet openings and open the inlet openings and having an upper position in which they close the inlet openings and open the outlet openings, said valve members being normally gravity-held in their lower positions to permit liquid to flow from the reservoir through the inlet openings to fill the cups while preventing the liquid from flowing out of the cups, an air vent tube connected to each said valve member, said tubes projecting upwardly through said inlet openings and through the liquid in the reservoir, means for advancing rows of empty containers in succession to positions underneath the outlet openings in said cups, and lifting means connected to said tubes to elevate the valve members to their upper positions and thereby to permit the liquid in the cups to flow out through the outlet openings and to fill the containers while preventing a flow of liquid from the reservoir and into the cups through the inlet openings.

2. A filling machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein is provided a support for a row of piles of interconnected pairs of container caps, each pair of cap-s being interconnected by means of a narrow severable bridging element, a pusher plate which is engageable with the lowermost caps in said piles of caps to push them from the support to a capping position above the containers, and plunger-s which are engageable with said caps above the containers to press them into said containers, thereby breaking the bridging element which interconnects each pair of caps.

3. A filling machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein each cup is provided with a valve seat encircling its outlet opening, each valve member being provided with an annular shoulder which is engageable with said valve seat to close the outlet opening when the valve member is in its lower position.

4. A filling machine in accordance with claim 1, Wherein each cup is provided with an annular bushing at its upper end encircling the inlet opening, each valve member having a cylindrical portion which occupies said annular bushing in slidable relation thereto, cutouts being provided in the upper end of said cylindrical portion forming passageways between the valve member and the bushing for the flow :of liquid from the reservoir to the cup when the valve member is in its lower position, the lower end of said cylindrical portion being in engagement with said bushing when the valve member is in its upper 10 position to prevent a flow through said cutouts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bardsley Feb. 2,

Brodsky June 13,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Oct. 16,

Great Britain Nov. 8, 

